Even though we are addicted to E-biking, really cold weather gave us the chance to go through some places where it would be really hard or even impossible to bike. So, we decided to share the maps of our walks with you, just in case you would like to explore the same places.
Třebenice: The first hike will lead you along Štěchovická dam and you should definitely not even think about biking this path. Also, if you are a little afraid of heights we don’t recommend this. There are several options for this trip. You can walk one way from Štěchovice to Třebenice or in the reverse direction and take the bus for the trip back to the start. Another option is to park in Třebenice and walk 10.5 km back to the start, which is what we did. Walking along the river up to point 4 is one of the nicest walks in the Czech Republic. The walk has chains and barriers for the steeper parts. You will walk through two short tunnels and at the edge of a steep slope going down to the water. We do not recommend going after it rains when the path could be quite slippery. From point 4 to 5 you will have to climb 170 m, but after that, it will be only downhill to the parking lot.
The one-way walk is described in detail on the web and the bus schedule can be found here. However, the bus is running every two hours during weekends, so the circle route is a reasonable option. You can decide to walk from Třebenice to the Osada Ztracenka and return across the hills back to the starting point (as the map below shows), or you can return through the same way you reached Ztracenka (point 2). In this case, you will be walking through the most interesting and dangerous parts of this trip, “Svatojánské proudy”, twice. “Svatojánské proudy” was the most dangerous and most beautiful part of Vltava river before it was flooded by the Štěchovická dam, which was built in 1943.
Ztracenka (originally Ztracená naděje, means lost hope) is an encampment founded in 1919 and marks the beginning of the so-called tramping movement which became very popular in Czechoslovakia after World War I. An interesting and not very well known fact is that “nohejbal” (futnet in English) sport was invented by tramps and became an internationally recognized sport with the European and World championships.
https://en.mapy.cz/s/kovopohata
Vonoklasy: Another little shorter trip we can recommend starts at Vonoklasy, a small village at the end of the road. You would really not expect a village to be at the end of the road so close to Prague. The 5.6 km loop will lead you along the edge of a protected landscape area “Český kras” (means Bohemian karst) and through the valley of the Kluček stream. Even though this trip is in principle bikeable, we would not recommend it for bikes. Between points 2 and 3 and again 5 and 6, you would have to push the bike up quite a steep slope which may be very slippery. Just enjoy a nice walk in nature. At point 6 you will be passing by the majestic oak on which, according to the fairytale, the old blackbird was sitting and waiting for the king Karel IV going to his castle Karlštejn. When he spotted the king, it flew ahead to inform the people in the castle to get ready for the king’s arrival.
https://en.mapy.cz/s/razefaduzu
Jenštejn: Very short walk through a very scenic valley. We started at the Chapel of Saint Anna in the village of Satalice. This chapel was founded by Countess Šporková to commemorate the fortunate delivery of her baby in a pub close by to this spot 300 years ago. Saint Anna is the saint patron of childbirth.
At point 2 you should not miss some interesting sandstone carvings on the right-hand side of the path. As you will be passing along seven ponds, you can enjoy nice autumn water reflections. If you will be on your bike, be very careful between points 3 and 4 where the path is pretty narrow and slippery. The walk ends in Jenštejn, a little village with a castle ruin. Jenštejn was founded in 1336, but in 1600 was abandoned and never repaired.
https://en.mapy.cz/s/mokaluvuse 5.7 km
Oppidum Závist: This walk will give you an option of shorter or longer loop. You can park either in the parking lot close to the very modern graveyard at Dolní Břežany if you are ready for 8.5 km, or you can continue through Lhota to a parking lot at the end of the road (point 3) for 4.4 km loop. The longer loop you can also shorten the longer loop going from point 7 back to point 2 and backtrack to start, or at point 9 to decide to go back to the start.
Before you reach the top of the hill, make a little side walk to the viewpoint from a chapel at point 5. Oppidum Závist (point 6) is one of the biggest Celt’s settlement in Europe dating back to 2nd century BC. Actually the first people were inhabiting this area already 2900 years BC. Walking along the education trail from the top of the hill, you will learn a lot about the archeological findings in this area. It is good to know some Czech for reading the posters, but you can also download the English version from the internet. The village Dolní Břežany is quite interesting and to learn more about it just visit our older blog. However, since you may be parking next to the modern cemetery, don’t forget to visit it.
https://en.mapy.cz/s/pokelugago 4.4 or 8.5 km
